Our annual Sweet Rice Festivalis here! The focus of the festival has been the glorification of our Deities, Sri Sri Radha Ksira-chora Gopinatha in Their special connection to sweet rice. The festivities will begin Tomorrow (Sunday Jun 7th) and will conclude on Sunday June 14th with many virtual activities (Temple remains closed to the public) throughout the week, click HERE for the full schedule.

We will begin our celebrations with a special session entitled "Sweet History Of Our Temple" presented by Bhaktimaraga Swami and Praharna devi dasi. They will take us on a trip down memory lane as we learn about the early days of our Temple; including how our beloved Deities arrived and why they got Their name. This special presentation will begin at 5pm broadcast on our Facebook Page.

Bhaktimarga Swami, also known as "The Walking Monk" has achieved the remarkable feat of walking across Canada four times! He has taken an active role in writing and directing theatrical productions that are presented all over the world. We will be featuring one of his plays as part of this Sweet Rice Festival. "Mr. Puri" will premiere on Monday June 8th at 6:30pm!

Praharna devi dasi has been a clinical social worker for over 20 years. She have served in a number of capacities including: mentoring young leaders on the Toronto Temple Council, assisting with the management of Govinda’s restaurant in Toronto, as well as being Regional Secretary for Canada. She is also on the North American GBC (Governing Body Commission) executive and the Canadian National Council.

Virtual Tour of Remuna

Our Deities in Toronto were named by Srila Prabhupada after this famous Deity by the same name, residing in the small town of Remuna, India. As such, our Hare Krishna centre is also lovingly known as “New Remuna Dham”.

On Tuesday, June 9th at 7:30pm we will have an opportunity to go on a virtual tour of Remuna Dhama (Odisha, India). Our tour guide will be our own Rupanuga das.

Rupanuga das was born and raised in India. He grew up in a family of devotees, and carried that tradition to Canada with him. At the Temple his primary services include deity service, mentorship and counseling, and teaching various classes.

I try to reach a different destination every day, and today was Riverdale Farm (currently closed due to Covid 19). It’s my first visit to the area, and the park next to the barnyard is a mere 3.9 kilometres from my residence at the temple/ashram. My intent here was to meet up with Saumeer, whom I’ve known since he was a kid.

It feels strange, though. He’ll be fifty this month. In 1976, our guru, Prabhupada, came to town, and congratulated us on the purchase of the old Christian church which we converted into a temple. At the time, Saumeer was around—just a kid.

“Prabhupada was kind to me. He came forward and messed up my hair,” he recalled affectionately.

With Saumeer our chat was about life, staying on top of responsibilities and keeping alive with some practice of bhakti. He spoke sweetly about his wife (always a good thing), and his kids; one at ten years of age, and another at seven.

It was good to catch up with Saumeer this afternoon.

Then, in the evening, while sitting at the front steps of our ashram, someone cycled by. It was Vishnu, a young man from Delhi, who landed in Canada, and is now settled here. He looked up and asked, “ISKCON?”

“Yes!”

“I know it from back home. It’s good that I know you’re here, that way I can keep a spiritual connection….”

Our chat was so congenial. When Vishnu cycled off after saying: “My mother’s coming to Canada. She’ll be so happy that I can bring her here!” I thought, Vishnu will be the next generation’s Saumeer.

Every fortnight, we observe Ekadasi, a day of prayer and meditation. On this day we fast (orsimplify our meals and abstain from grains and beans), and spend extra time reading the scripturesand chanting the auspicious Hare Krishna mantra.By constantly ‘exercising’ our minds throughregular japa we can train our senses to push the threshold of contentment.

Adult Education At The TempleISKCON Brampton offers various courses and Seminars for adults. The courses take a personal approach to learning. It encourages the student not only to study thoroughly the contents of Srila Prabhupada’s books but also to clearly understand the philosophy and practically apply it. The course focuses on behaviour and character, nurturing students in appropriate Vaishnava values.Professionally designed and presented, it draws on the principles of Krishna consciousnessand the best of progressive education. In this way, it is true to ISKCON’s heritage and at thesame time relevant to its mission in contemporary society.

The Sunday School provides fun filled strategies through the medium of music, drama, debates,quizzes and games that present Vedic Culture to children. However the syllabus is also designedto simultaneously teach them to always remember Krishna and never forget Him.The Sunday School follows the curriculum provided by the Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture (BCEC).

Monthly sankirtan Festival(MSF)

“One who has life can preach, and one who preaches gets life.”(Previous Acaryas)

Every member of ISKCON should have the opportunity to make advancement in Krishnaconsciousness by preaching.We encourage everyone to come out and participate and makeSrila Prabhupada happy.

Please note that registration in the Mentorship System is now a mandatory requirement for all initiation requests at ISKCON Brampton.It

1.Facilitates and nurtures devotees aspiring for first and second Initiation.2.One-on-One personal follow up on a regular basis.3.Systematic training to devotees in matters of Philosophy, Sadhna, Vaishnava behavior, etiquette, Lifestyle and attitudes.

Are you looking for some amazing gift items which are less expensive and more beautiful for yourloved ones for festivals or many other occasions??Our boutique is stocked with an excellent range of products, perfect for gifts or as souvenirs of yourvisit. It offers textiles, jewelry, incense, devotional articles, musical instruments, books, and CDsinspired by Indian culture.We're open on all Sundays and celebrations marked in our annual calendar.

Sri Mukunda Datta was born in the Cattagrama district, in the village of Chanhara, which is under the jurisdiction of the police station named Patiya. This village is situated ten krosas, or about twenty miles, from the home of Pundarika Vidyanidhi.

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (140) it is said:vraje sthitau gayakau yaumadhukantha-madhuvrataumukunda-vasudevau taudattau gauranga-gayakau “In Vraja there were two very nice singers named Madhukantha and Madhuvrata. They appeared in caitanya-lila as Mukunda and Vasudeva Datta, who were singers in the society of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”

When Lord Caitanya was a student, Mukunda Datta was His class friend, and they frequently engaged in logical arguments. Sometimes Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu would fight with Mukunda Datta, using tricks of logic. This is described in the Caitanya-bhagavata, Adi-lila, Chapters Eleven and Twelve.

When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu returned from Gaya, Mukunda Datta gave Him pleasure by reciting verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam about Krishna-lila. It was by his endeavor that Gadadhara Pandita Gosvami became a disciple of Pundarika Vidyanidhi, as stated in Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-lila, Chapter Seven.

When Mukunda Datta sang in the courtyard of Srivasa Prabhu, Mahaprabhu danced with His singing, and when Lord Caitanya for twenty-one hours exhibited an ecstatic manifestation known as sata-prahariya, Mukunda Datta inaugurated the function by singing.

Kirtan Fest Global organized the Kirtan Fest India Online for ISKCON India from 10th May - 17th May, and was live streamed on Facebook. The event was so popular that the organizers extended from 7 days to 8 days for a total of 96 hours of Kirtan Fest India Online.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) wishes to lend our voice to the outcry of millions of people across the United States and around the world, who are calling for justice for abused minorities and protection for all people.

Over the years, abilities were developed, achievements came and accolades were received, but with it has surfaced a mentality that is calculative, complicated and corrupted. How can I turn back the clock?

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March, ISKCON temples worldwide have been in lockdown, unable to connect with their communities or give spiritual knowledge to newcomers in person, and instead shifting these activities online.

From June 1st, however, the UK government has begun to ease restrictions slightly. On Monday June 1st and Tuesday June 2nd, a maximum of six devotees on each day rode the boat down the Paddington Basin through Wembley.

The monster, Covid 19, has definitely been like some kind of plough, turning over soil and exposing new elements. People are more and more becoming actual pedestrians. Professional gyms are closed so you cannot workout in such places, which have been so popular prior to the pandemic. People’s physical exercise may now entail indoor treadmills, but many are exploring the virtues of a walk, and maybe even a mantra,or a prayer. At least some awe has been invoked in such seekers of new territory, like the trails at David Balfour Park.

I’ve been coming here for years. I know every little nook of the place, or I thought I did, until I saw how recent erosion prevention has been implemented by the city, especially at Yellow Creek. They did a nice job.

I do see people, adults, exploring these trails, looking like kids at Disney. They seem to be wowed by their gorgeous natural surroundings. You can see it in their faces and body language. Some of these wanderers in this urban wilderness even respond to the monk in saffron as they turn a corner.

For years I’ve watched the locals, residents along the ravine, tread along here, and they are used to these surroundings, but I see a whole new crop of people coming in as if they are stepping into heaven. For them, all is good except for the skeeters (mosquitoes). It’s simply a reminder of the material world.

Just prior to my evening walk, our group from the temple ashram pulled out our instruments for another bang of musical sounds to salute the Health Caretakers contending with and tending to the Covid virus. I thought we sounded good but tonight we appeared to be the only ones on the street bearing paraphernalia to create some sound.

It seemed strange to us. Are the neighbours all through with connecting to one another? Does everyone want to just go back to normal?

Those of us from the ashramwere initially motivated by the enthusiasm of some of the folks down the street. We came on board a couple of weeks after they started the tradition and a beautiful cultural practice became an everyday reality. The music we have been projecting can be seen as a celebration to the good side of humanity. Even if we, or when we, starve off or eradicate the little demon, Covid-19, might it be possible to salute those who sacrifice?

When I did actually take my walk, I came to the juncture of Yonge and Bloor and reminded myself that I have a cousin, Correy, who lives in a condo just east of the intersection. I called her and we spoke. She informed me of the riots going on south of the border. That tragedy is consuming people’s minds in the U.S.

“But here in Canada,” said Correy, “we are occupied with Covid.”

It does sound like a mundane world. People do seem to be enveloped in the negative. While this istrue of life as we know it, there is also a flip-side. Yes, smell the spring aromas. Touch both truths. Don’t just hang around in one.

“We must know the present need of human society. And what is that need? Human society is no longer bounded by geographical limits to particular countries or communities . . ., and the world tendency is toward one state or one human society. The ideals of . . . Srimad-Bhagavatam are based more or less on the oneness of the entire human society, nay, of the entire energy of living beings. The need is felt by great thinkers to make this a successful ideology. Srimad-Bhagavatam will fill this need in human society. It begins, therefore, with an aphorism of Vedanta philosophy, janmady asya yatah, to establish the ideal of a common cause.

“Human society, at the present moment, is not in the darkness of oblivion. It has made rapid progress in the fields of material comforts, education, and economic development throughout the entire world. But there is a pinprick somewhere in the social body at large, and therefore there are large-scale quarrels, even over less important issues. There is need of a clue as to how humanity can become one in peace, friendship, and prosperity with a common cause. Srimad-Bhagavatam will fill this need, for it is a cultural presentation for the respiritualization of the entire human society. . . .

“There is God, or the almighty one, from whom everything emanates, by whom everything is maintained, and in whom everything is merged to rest. Material science has tried to find the ultimate source of creation very insufficiently, but it is a fact that there is one ultimate source of everything that be. This ultimate source is explained rationally and authoritatively in the beautiful Bhagavatam, or Srimad-Bhagavatam.

“Srimad-Bhagavatam is the transcendental science not only for knowing the ultimate source of everything but also for knowing our relation with Him and our duty toward perfection of the human society on the basis of this perfect knowledge. . . .

“I am hopeful of it’s good reception by the thinkers and leaders of society . . .”

One of the last SB classes I gave I spoke about the need to make sure that we develop personal relationships with individuals and indeed if we notice someone missing that being full of compassion we get intouch.

Indeed one of the most attractive things was this individual personal attentiveness the way each person was made to feel special wanted and needed. Indeed one felt so attracted to the devotees and seva that you would look at ways to help, slowly becoming captivated and happy.

This was a long time ago and seems something no longer a theme in the modern devotee setting, indeed it is one of the greatest weaknesses within the new systems, especially the mentor system. I’ve had many mentors unique and caring devotees who have guided and inspired me over the many years. Encouraged whilst understanding the individual, knowing what is the best way to help progression in Krishna Consciousness. Sadly something an artificial system cannot replicate.

Sadly the one thing I so desired didn’t happen and sadly decisions were made without anyone directly speaking to me and the words of one of my greatest mentors dismissed even though they had guided and I had worked with them for many years. IMPERSONAL.

It was a bitter blow and destroyed the spark I had, the fire of desire destroyed, the joy of devotion lost well for a while. After a while I concealed a direct debit to the temple feeling somewhat disconnected.

Sadly here is the turn of events.

The Direct debit was noted and then a barrage of e-mails, may be an oversight can you reinstate it, may be do some service. But no question of how are you? For me a glaring omission.

Then nearly two years after no longer going to the temple an e-mail from the mentorship coordinator, it was sad that it has taken this long. To add insult to injury in this time the mentor didn’t get intouch.

But my ever well wishers did, the devotees who I had worked along with, sending me updates, darshan and other lovely things.

It reminded me of events several years ago:

I found out my guru Maharaja was giving class it was a paid for event, yes I could go but must pay. So I put two amounts of money one the entrance fee, the other a donation (a much more substantial sum). Speaking to Sir Krishna I said OK if they ask me for entrance fee I will only give them that sum, as this is there only focus the money; if they ask for donation I will give both.

Sadly it ended up with them demanding entrance fee even though they knew I was disciple, without realising asking for donation was the right thing to do.

Don’t worry Sri Krishna got the money as I gave it to the head pujari to use for the deities, he was very happy.

You see knowing the person, working alongside the individual makes a difference indeed; we loose sight of this we loose the individual; I am greatfull Sri Krishna has shown me this; I hope it’s a lesson I don’t forget.

So I pondered and wrote an e-mail back as follows:

Hare Krishna

Please accept my humble obeisances

Dandavats ****

I pray Sri Krishna is keeping you and your loved ones safe and full of loving devotion.

The question should be has your mentor been in touch with you? The answer is sadly no.

A number of promises were made none of which came to pass, I have relayed to my guru maharaja that sadly not only do I not have faith in the mentor system but also in *****.

After years of travelling 177 miles, helping ****prabhu a very sincere and caring devotee who has mentored me in the true sense of the word and spoke on my behalf. Helping in the pujari department and benefiting from ***** Prabhu wisdom who also couldn’t be a mentor and giving classes when asked. That this amounts to little in the tick box system.

So disappointed with the system that the joy of devotion was lost and if you check its been a long time since I’ve been to the ***** and also withdrawn my small financial contributions, as it appears the ***** is more interested in my wallet than my progress in bhakti.

I have continued to follow the first instruction from my guru maharaja and over the covid-19 outbreak have been caring not only for the meterial body but spirit soul, sharing the holy names which has helped calm the individuals I’ve nursed, to giving them a gita to read whilst recovering ; this has been reported back to my guru maharaja.

I pray Sri Krishna will return the ***** to the amazing place to do seva and associate with inspirational devotees who encourage and recommend from the heart with real knowledge of the devotee, there strengths and weaknesses.

Stay safe and in these times remember our japa should be of the finest quality

Yours humbley

Dhirabhakta Das

I pray that a more personal system returns with the emphasis on the Joy of Devotion, that devotee happiness is the main focus; and that personal recommendations returns.

But I guess I’m one of those who are considered a thorn in the side harping on about the old days unwilling to progress and move on with the modern way of doing things.

But deep down my only desire is that Iskcon becomes a place were all can come, stay and be happy.

We have gathered at the lotus feet of the Pancha-tattva on this most auspicious occasion of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami’s cida-dadhi festival. The background to this incident can be found in the early life of Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. His uncle and father, Hiranya and Govardhana Majumadara, were wealthy landlords in Bengal—almost like kings—and had a huge, opulent riverside palace, with boats that plied the river. Hiranya and Govardhana were generous and devoted to brahminical culture, and they practically maintained the entire brahman community of Nadia with their charity. Raghunatha dasa was their only son, so naturally they put all their hopes in him to carry on the family dynasty. But from a young age, Raghunatha was attracted to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The Majumadaras’ spiritual master was Yadunandana Acharya, a disciple of Advaita Acharya (of the Pancha-tattva) and an intimate student of Vasudeva Datta, and the family’s priest was Balarama Acharya, a dear associate of Haridasa Thakura and close friend of Yadunandana Acharya. Balarama Acharya and Yadunandana Acharya used to host Haridasa Thakura, and when Haridasa stayed in their village, Raghunatha visited him daily and received his mercy. Balarama Acharya also invited Haridasa Thakura to speak in the Majumadaras’ assembly about the glories of the holy name. Thus Raghunatha dasa had the association of these great souls, followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who would tell him about Mahaprabhu and encourage him to chant.

Once, when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, after taking sannyasa, visited Shantipur, Raghunatha dasa went to meet Him. In pure love, he fell at Lord Chaitanya’s lotus feet, and the Lord, out of His mercy, blessed him with the touch of His feet. Raghunatha served the Lord for a week, and after he returned home he was mad with ecstatic love. He wanted to join Mahaprabhu in Puri, but his family would not allow him. Time and again he would run away from home to go to Puri, and every time, his father would catch him and bring him back. His father even kept five watchmen to guard him day and night, four servants to see to his comforts, and two brahmans to cook for him, so eleven people were engaged to make sure he did not go to Puri. Later, when Mahaprabhu again visited Shantipur, Raghunatha begged his father, “Please allow me to see the lotus feet of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Otherwise, my life will not remain in my body.” So, his father allowed him to go to Shantipur, sending many servants to accompany him. For seven days Raghunatha stayed in the Lord’s association, constantly thinking, “How will I get free from the watchmen? How will I be able to go with Mahaprabhu to Puri?” The Lord, being omniscient, could understand Raghunatha’s mind, and He reassured him with some important statements. These instructions form the background of the Panihati festival, and we shall read them as they are recorded in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Sixteen: “The Lord’s Attempt to go to Vrndavana.”

“You should not make yourself a showbottle devotee and become a false renunciant. For the time being, enjoy the material world in a befitting way and do not become attached to it.”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The word markata-vairagya, indicating false renunciation, is very important in this verse. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, in commenting on this word, points out that monkeys make an external show of renunciation by not accepting clothing and by living naked in the forest. In this way they consider themselves renunciants, but actually they are very busy enjoying sense gratification with dozens of female monkeys. Such renunciation is called markata-vairagya—the renunciation of a monkey. One cannot become really renounced until one actually becomes disgusted with material activity and sees it as a stumbling block to spiritual advancement. Renunciation should not be phalgu, temporary, but should exist throughout one’s life. Temporary renunciation, or monkey renunciation, is like the renunciation one feels at a cremation ground. When a man takes a dead body to the crematorium, he sometimes thinks, “This is the final end of the body. Why am I working so hard day and night?” Such sentiments naturally arise in the mind of any man who goes to a crematorial ghata. However, as soon as he returns from the cremation grounds, he again engages in material activity for sense enjoyment. This is called smasana-vairagya, or markata-vairagya.

In order to render service to the Lord, one may accept necessary things. If one lives in this way, he may actually become renounced. In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.108), it is said:

“The bare necessities of life must be accepted, but one should not superfluously increase his necessities. Nor should they be unnecessarily decreased. One should simply accept what is necessary to help one advance spiritually.”

In his Durgama-sangamani, Sri Jiva Gosvami comments that the word sva-nirvahah actually means sva-sva-bhakti-nirvahah. The experienced devotee will accept only those material things that will help him render service to the Lord. In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.256), markata-vairagya, or phalgu-vairagya, is explained as follows:

“When persons eager to achieve liberation renounce things related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thinking them to be material, their renunciation is called incomplete.” Whatever is favorable for the rendering of service to the Lord should be accepted and should not be rejected as a material thing. Yukta-vairagya, or befitting renunciation, is thus explained:

“Things should be accepted for the Lord’s service and not for one’s personal sense gratification. If one accepts something without attachment and accepts it because it is related to Krsna, one’s renunciation is called yukta-vairagya.” Since Krsna is the Absolute Truth, whatever is accepted for His service is also the Absolute Truth. . . .

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami enumerates sixty-four items of devotional service, beginning with guru-padasraya, taking shelter of a spiritual master; krsna-diksadi-siksanam, taking initiation and instruction from him; visrambhena guroh seva, serving him with respect; and sad-dharma-prccha, inquiring about one’s eternal duties. And at the end of the list he discusses certain items that he has not included but which one might think could or should have been included. One such item is the cultivation of vairagya (detachment), and Rupa Gosvami explains why he has not included it. He says that bhakti by nature makes the heart soft. The primary activities of bhakti, hearing and chanting about Krishna and remembering Him, make the heart soft, whereas the cultivation of speculative knowledge and performance of artificial austerities tend to make the heart hard—the exact opposite of bhakti.

The question then arises, “If we do not cultivate detachment from material things, are we meant to be attached to them?” The answer, of course, is no. Shastra says that a person absorbed in material enjoyment is far from being absorbed in Krishna. Then how do we resolve this dilemma—that we do not want to be attached to material things yet do not want to cultivate detachment from them? In reply, Rupa Gosvami says that a taste for devotional service itself will destroy one’s material attachments, without the hardness of heart caused by the practice of vairagya. And in this important verse he explains what kind of vairagya is suitable for bhakti:

Srila Prabhupada used to cite the example of a famous monk in India who was supposed to be so renounced that if anyone offered him money, his hand would curl and turn away. Srila Prabhupada said, “But if anyone offers us money, we will immediately take it and use it in Krishna’s service.”

The impersonalists, who have no idea of Krishna—the beauty of Krishna—or of the actual identity of the living entity as the eternal servant of Krishna, may pose as being renounced, but actually they are not. So in contrast to yukta-vairagya, Rupa Gosvami has composed a verse that describes phalgu-vairagya. The Phalgu is a river in Bihar that has the peculiar quality of appearing like dry land. On the surface is sand, but underneath is water—a real river, with a strong current. The renunciation of impersonalists who reject the world—who reject material things as maya (illusion) even when related to the Lord—is called phalgu. On the surface they appear to be renounced, but underneath is a strong current of material desire.

In the beginning of his discussion of bhakti, Rupa Gosvami poses the question of what makes one eligible—what is the adhikara—for bhakti, and he quotes a verse from the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam:

First, one should have faith (adau sraddha)—faith in and attraction for the messages of Krishna (mat-kathadau). And na nirvinno nati-sakto: one should not be too attached or too detached. This might also seem odd, but the Bhagavatam explains that if a person is too attached to material life, they will be unable to take to bhakti but will be inclined to fruitive activities (karma), and if a person is too averse, too negative, they will take to jnana, impersonal speculation. For bhakti, one should be neither too attached nor too detached, too disgusted with material life.

“If somehow or other by good fortune one develops faith in hearing and chanting My glories, such a person, being neither very disgusted with nor attached to material life, should achieve perfection through the path of loving devotion to Me.” (SB 11.20.8) In other words, one should be in the middle. Then the heart will be open to bhakti. Both sense gratification and artificial renunciation make the heart hard.

So, what did Lord Chaitanya tell Raghunatha dasa? First He said, “Don’t be a crazy fellow. Don’t be a monkey renunciant.” That is what Raghunatha should not do. Now, what should he do?

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued, “Within your heart you should keep yourself very faithful, but externally you may behave like an ordinary man. Thus Krsna will soon be very pleased and deliver you from the clutches of maya.

“Raghunatha dasa was inwardly completely renounced, even in family life, but he did not express his renunciation externally. Instead, he acted just like an ordinary businessman. Seeing this, his father and mother were satisfied.” (Cc Antya 6.15)

Raghunatha dasa expertly handled a serious legal implication that could have led to his uncle’s arrest, thus saving his family from a difficult situation with the Muslim government. And because he was acting like a proper materialist, his family members were happy and relaxed their guard.

As a relatively new devotee, I really liked the image of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami in Vrindavan, although I did not know what his internal consciousness actually was. And I wanted to be like him—a gosvami in Vrindavan, staying one night under one tree and another night under another tree. I never said anything to Srila Prabhupada, but because he was empowered by the Lord, he could understand my mind—just as Lord Chaitanya could understand Raghunatha’s mind. One day I was sitting before Prabhupada in his room in Juhu—I hadn’t said anything—and he just looked at me and said, “First you manage your father’s property like Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, then you go to Vrindavan and be a gosvami.” At the time, Srila Prabhupada was very concerned about the Juhu project.

Finally, although Raghunatha dasa was still being watched by guards, he got the idea to meet Nityananda Prabhu in nearby Panihati. He thought, “Let me see Nityananda Prabhu, even if the guards come with me. At least let me see Lord Nityananda.”

In this way Raghunatha dasa passed one year exactly like a first-class business manager, but the next year he again decided to leave home.

He got up alone one night and left, but his father caught him in a distant place and brought him back.

This became almost a daily affair. Raghunatha would run away from home, and his father would again bring him back. Then Raghunatha dasa’s mother spoke to his father as follows.

“Our son has become mad,” she said. “Just keep him by binding him with ropes.” His father, being very unhappy, replied to her as follows.

“Raghunatha dasa, our son, has opulences like Indra, the heavenly king, and his wife is as beautiful as an angel. Yet all this could not tie down his mind.

“How then could we keep this boy home by binding him with ropes? It is not possible even for one’s father to nullify the reactions of one’s past activities.

“Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has fully bestowed His mercy on him. Who can keep home such a madman of Caitanyacandra?”

COMMENT

Sometimes the parents of Prabhupada’s disciples also thought that their children had become mad. Once, two brothers, Bruce and Greg Scharf (later initiated as Brahmananda and Gargamuni), joined Srila Prabhupada’s movement, and their mother came to Prabhupada and complained that her boys had become crazy. After speaking with her for some time, he invited her to join him in the temple room, and there he gave a class: “Who is Crazy?” He said, “What is the definition of ‘crazy’? A crazy person is someone who doesn’t know who he is.” For example, if I think I am Napoleon Bonaparte or Theodore Roosevelt or Mahatma Gandhi—if I don’t know who I am—that means I am crazy. Srila Prabhupada concluded, “So anyone who thinks he is the body is crazy, because he doesn’t know who he is. So who is crazy? Are these boys crazy—these devotees—or are you crazy?”

TEXTS 42–44

Then Raghunatha dasa considered something in his mind, and the next day he went to Nityananda Gosani.

In the village of Panihati, Raghunatha dasa obtained an interview with Nityananda Prabhu, who was accompanied by many kirtana performers, servants, and others.

Sitting on a rock under a tree on the bank of the Ganges, Lord Nityananda seemed as effulgent as hundreds of thousands of rising suns.

COMMENT

Narottama dasa Thakura sings, nitai-pada-kamala koti-candra-susitala: “The lotus feet of Lord Nityananda are as cooling as hundreds of thousands of moons.” And here He is described as being “as effulgent as hundreds of thousands of rising suns.” He Himself is like the sun and the moon.

TEXTS 45–47

Many devotees sat on the ground surrounding Him. Seeing the influence of Nityananda Prabhu, Raghunatha dasa was astonished.

Raghunatha dasa offered his obeisances by falling prostrate at a distant place, and the servant of Nityananda Prabhu pointed out, “There is Raghunatha dasa, offering You obeisances.”

Hearing this, Lord Nityananda Prabhu said, “You are a thief. Now you have come to see Me. Come here, come here. Today I shall punish you!”

COMMENT

Out of humility, Raghunatha dasa had offered obeisances from a distance, but Lord Nityananda, in a humorous mood, said that he was like a thief—one who hides in the shadows on the outskirts. At this time Raghunatha dasa was a young man, only about twenty-two years old.

TEXTS 48–51

The Lord called him, but Raghunatha dasa did not go near the Lord. Then the Lord forcibly caught him and placed His lotus feet upon Raghunatha dasa’s head.

Lord Nityananda was by nature very merciful and funny. Being merciful, He spoke to Raghunatha dasa as follows.

“You are just like a thief, for instead of coming near, you stay away at a distant place. Now that I have captured you, I shall punish you.

This was a humorous request, because Raghunatha dasa was practically a prince and chipped rice is a most simple food. It would be as if Mukesh Ambani, now one of the richest men in the world, came to the temple and said, “I want to do some service” and Tukarama Prabhu, the temple president, replied, “Okay, buy puffed rice for all the devotees.” That would be a joke. Imagine: Raghunatha dasa is living in unlimited opulence, like Indra, the king of heaven, and Nityananda Prabhu says, “Oh, I am going to punish you! You have to serve chipped rice and yogurt to all My associates.”

TEXTS 52–54

Raghunatha dasa immediately sent his own men to the village to purchase all kinds of eatables and bring them back.

As soon as they heard that a festival was going to be held, all kinds of brahmanas and other gentlemen began to arrive . . .

COMMENT

Just like here, you all heard that there was a festival, and so you came.

TEXT 54 (continued)

Thus there were innumerable people.

TEXTS 55–60

Seeing the crowd increasing, Raghunatha dasa arranged to get more eatables from other villages. He also brought two to four hundred large, round earthen pots.

He also obtained five or seven especially large earthen pots, and in these pots a brahmana began soaking chipped rice for the satisfaction of Lord Nityananda.

In one place, chipped rice was soaked in hot milk in each of the large pots. Then half the rice was mixed with yogurt, sugar, and bananas.

The other half was mixed with condensed milk and a special type of banana known as canpa-kala. Then sugar, clarified butter, and camphor were added.

After Nityananda Prabhu had changed His cloth for a new one and sat on a raised platform, the brahmana brought before Him the seven huge pots.

On that platform, all the most important associates of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, as well as other important men, sat down in a circle around the Lord.

COMMENT

Next the author lists various great associates of Nityananda Prabhu who were present. Nityananda Prabhu is the incarnation of Balarama, just as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the incarnation of Krishna, and Balarama is always associated with His cowherd boyfriends. Many of Lord Balarama’s cowherd boyfriends in krsna-lila descended on earth at the time of gaura-lila and took birth in brahman and other families. Many of them became associates of Lord Nityananda, and one of them, Uddharana Datta Thakura, who was also with Him at Panihati, appeared in a family that was related to the family in which Srila Prabhupada later appeared.

TEXTS 64–66

Hearing about the festival, all kinds of learned scholars, brahmanas, and priests went there. Lord Nityananda Prabhu honored them and made them sit on the raised platform with Him.

Everyone was offered two earthen pots. In one was put chipped rice with condensed milk, and in the other chipped rice with yogurt.

All the other people sat in groups around the platform. No one could count how many people there were.

COMMENT

Each person was supplied two pots, one with chipped rice and yogurt and one with chipped rice and condensed milk. Raghunatha dasa kept purchasing more chipped rice, more milk and yogurt, more bananas and other fruits, and more sweets. Not only did brahmans hear about the festival and come to partake, but merchants heard too and came to sell their goods. Raghunatha dasa would buy their chipped rice and yogurt and sweets and bananas, and then he would feed them the very same food. The multitude of people eventually occupied all the space on the land, and when there was no more place to sit, people started to stand on the bank of the Ganges and eat. And when all the space on the bank was taken, people began to stand in the water of the Ganges and eat their chipped rice and yogurt.

Toward the end of the feast, Nityananda Prabhu, in meditation, brought Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to see the fun. Lord Nityananda stood up and walked with Him amidst all the eaters. As a joke, He took a morsel of rice from each pot and put it in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mouth, and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took a morsel from each pot and put it in Nityananda Prabhu’s mouth, laughing as He made Him eat it. But nobody could understand what Nityananda Prabhu was doing. Only some rare, fortunate souls could see that Lord Chaitanya was also present.

The entire pastime is very nice, but time does not allow us to read or describe it all in detail. Suffice to say, in the words of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya 6.90, 89, 88):

“Who can understand the influence and mercy of Lord Nityananda Prabhu? He is so powerful that He induced Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to come eat chipped rice on the bank of the Ganges.”

nityananda mahaprabhu-krpalu, udara

raghunathera bhagye eta kaila angikara

“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Nityananda Prabhu are extremely merciful and liberal. It was Raghunatha dasa’s good fortune that They accepted all these dealings.”

Another great devotee of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu was Raghava Pandita, who lived nearby in Panihati. During the festival he came and invited Nityananda Prabhu to his house for prasada, and Nityananda replied, “I belong to a community of cowherd boys, and I generally have many cowherd associates with Me. I am happy when we picnic like this by the bank of a river. So let Me eat this food here now, and in the evening I shall eat at your home.”

That evening, as promised, Nityananda Prabhu came to Raghava Pandita’s house. He performed sankirtana in Raghava’s temple and inspired all the devotees to dance. Then He Himself began to dance, thus inundating the world with ecstatic love. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu personally came to see Nityananda Prabhu’s sweet, ecstatic dancing, but only Lord Nityananda could see Him. Thereafter Raghava Pandita served Lord Chaitanya, Lord Nityananda, and Their associates a sumptuous feast, and after everyone was satisfied, he gave Raghunatha dasa the remnants of food left by Gaura and Nitai on Their plates.

He said to Raghunatha dasa, “Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has eaten this food. If you take His remnants, you will be released from the bondage of your family.” (Cc Antya 6.123)

As stated in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Raghava Pandita would always prepare a plate for Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and every day Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would come and eat at Raghava Pandita’s house, sometimes allowing Raghava Pandita to see Him. On this occasion, Raghava Pandita was pleased to see that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had come to honor the prasada at the place he had set for Him next to Nityananda Prabhu. Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami explains,

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead always resides either in the heart or in the home of a devotee. This fact is sometimes hidden and sometimes manifest, for the Supreme Personality of Godhead is fully independent.

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead is all-pervasive, and therefore He resides everywhere. Anyone who doubts this will be annihilated.” (Cc Antya 6.124–125)

The next morning, when it was time for Raghunatha dasa to return home, out of humility he did not approach Nityananda Prabhu directly but submitted his appeal through Raghava Pandita. After having taken His bath in the Ganges, Nityananda Prabhu was sitting with His associates beneath the same tree under which they had sat the previous day. Raghunatha dasa approached Him there and worshipped His lotus feet. Then, through Raghava Pandita, he submitted his desire:

“I am the lowest of men, the most sinful, fallen, and condemned. Nevertheless, I desire to attain shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TEXTS 129–133

“Like a dwarf who wants to catch the moon, I have tried my best many times, but I have never been successful.

“Every time I tried to go away and give up my home relationships, my father and mother unfortunately kept me bound.

“No one can attain the shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu without Your mercy, but if You are merciful, even the lowest of men can attain shelter at His lotus feet.

“Although I am unfit and greatly afraid to submit this plea, I nevertheless request You, Sir, to be especially merciful toward me by granting me shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

“Placing Your feet on my head, give me the benediction that I may achieve the shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu without difficulty. I pray for this benediction.”

COMMENT

This is an important point: Without the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, no one can attain the shelter of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And Nityananda Prabhu agreed to be merciful; He placed His lotus feet on Raghunatha dasa’s head, and He praised him to the other devotees, saying that although Raghunatha’s standard of material happiness was equal to that of Indra, the king of heaven, by the mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu he had no attachment to it at all. Then Nityananda asked all the devotees to bless Raghunatha dasa that he would soon attain shelter at Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s lotus feet. And He said to Raghunatha,

TEXTS 139–143

“My dear Raghunatha dasa, since you arranged the feast on the bank of the Ganges, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came here just to show you His mercy.

“By His causeless mercy He ate the chipped rice and milk. Then, after seeing the dancing of the devotees at night, He took His supper.

“Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Gaurahari, came here personally to deliver you. Now rest assured that all the impediments meant for your bondage are gone.

“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu will accept you and place you under the charge of His secretary, Svarupa Damodara. You will thus become one of the most confidential internal servants and will attain shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

“Being assured of all this, return to your own home. Very soon, without impediments, you will attain shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”

COMMENT

After consulting with Raghava Pandita, Raghunatha dasa privately delivered one hundred gold coins and some gold to Nityananda Prabhu’s treasurer, telling him not to mention the presentation to Lord Nityananda until Raghunatha returned home. Then, to honor Lord Nityananda’s associates—great devotees and servants and subservants—Raghunatha left another hundred gold coins and some gold with Raghava Pandita, who, in accordance with Raghunatha dasa’s instructions, prepared a list of how much would be given to each and every devotee. Then Raghunatha dasa took leave of Raghava Pandita and, filled with gratitude to Lord Nityananda for His mercy, returned home.

At home, Raghunatha dasa no longer went into the interior section of the palace, but slept on the Durga-mandapa outside. Then one night it happened, as Lord Nityananda had predicted, that Raghunatha dasa got an opportunity to escape. The Majumadaras’ and Raghunatha’s guru, Yadunandana Acharya, came at the end of the night and told Raghunatha that one of the other disciples, who had been engaged in worshipping the Deity, had left that service, and Yadunandana wanted Raghunatha to induce that brahman to take up his service again, as there was no other brahman to do it.

All the guards were asleep, and in any case Yadunandana Acharya was a trusted well-wisher of the family. So Raghunatha dasa left with Yadunandana Acharya, and after walking some distance he submitted to his spiritual master, “There is no need for you to accompany me. You may proceed to your home, and I will meet that brahman and persuade him to resume his service.” So Yadunandana Acharya went to his place, and Raghunatha dasa, after convincing the brahman to resume his service, left for Nilacala, Jagannatha Puri.

Because he knew that his family would search for him, Raghunatha took the inner route and for twelve days walked through jungles and remote villages, always thinking of the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. On most days he did not eat anything, but because he was fixed in his determination, he did not mind. He managed with whatever little he could get, and eventually he attained the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Puri, as Nityananda Prabhu had predicted.

This gives us a clue as to how we can become free from material attachments. All the scriptures say that to achieve Krishna—to achieve love for Krishna—one must be free from material attachments, but cultivating detachment is not the process. Then, what is the process? The process is service, specifically service that will please Nityananda Prabhu, because if we please Nityananda Prabhu, by His mercy we will become detached from all that is material.

“When will Lord Nityananda bestow His mercy upon me so that my desire for material enjoyment will become very insignificant?” (Srila Narottam dasa Thakura, Prarthana)

Becoming free from material attachments does not necessarily mean that one must leave home, like Raghunatha dasa did. He is one example, but there are other examples of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s associates who did not leave home. Lord Chaitanya did not ask them to leave home, and in some cases He actually instructed them to remain at home. This is another mystery—how one can serve the Lord in either a position of renunciation or a position of opulence.

Once, Srila Prabhupada asked his guru maharaja about this question. He began by saying that Rupa Gosvami left everything—his lucrative and prestigious position as minister—for the service of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Tyaga. And Ramananda Raya, who was a governor and a householder, lived in great material opulence—bhoga. Both were accepted equally by Lord Chaitanya. “So what is the difference?” he asked. “Both were devotees of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.” Thus he raised the question of bhoga and tyaga—enjoyment and renunciation.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura gave a striking answer. He invoked the term prosita-bhartrka, which refers to a wife when her husband is away. In Vedic culture, when the husband was away, the wife would wear very plain clothes. She wouldn’t decorate herself or comb her hair. She would lie down and sleep on the floor, and she would live in a very austere and renounced way. And the same woman, when her husband was home, would bathe twice daily, apply oil to her body, wear beautiful clothing, and decorate herself in an attractive way. But in both cases the central point is the husband. When the husband is away she lives in that renounced way, and when the husband is present she acts in that more spirited way, but in both situations the central point is to please the husband, and so there is no difference. Thus Srila Bhaktisiddhanta explained that as devotees we are interested neither in bhoga nor in tyaga. We are interested only in Krishna and Krishna’s service. For Krishna’s service we can give up everything, like the Gosvamis. And for the sake of Krishna’s service we can accept any opulent position, like that of Ramananda Raya, who was a governor. And either—or both—will please Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

So, becoming free from material attachments doesn’t necessarily mean that the son will leave the parents or that the husband will leave the wife or that the wife will leave the husband. It means that one is free from material bondage and acts to please the Lord. When Lord Chaitanya was discussing with Ramananda Raya what the perfection of life (sadhya) is, the first answer that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu accepted was that one can remain in one’s position (sthane sthitah) and chant and hear the glories of the Lord in the association of pure devotees. As stated in the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, one should completely give up the process of mental speculation and just become submissive. You can remain in your position (sthane sthitah). If you are a grihastha, you can remain a grihastha. If you are a brahmachari, you can remain a brahmachari. Whatever you are, you can remain in your position but hear the messages of Krishna from the mouths of pure devotees. That is the real principle of devotional service, as accepted by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

[Lord Brahma said to Krishna:] “Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words, and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.” (SB 10.14.3)

Why, then, should one leave one’s family at all? One may do so only to expand one’s service to the Lord and humanity. As Srila Prabhupada explains, “A pure devotee cuts off the limited ties of affection for his family and widens his activities of devotional service for all forgotten souls. The typical example is the band of Six Gosvamis, who followed the path of Lord Caitanya. All of them belonged to the most enlightened and cultured rich families of the higher castes, but for the benefit of the mass of population they left their comfortable homes and became mendicants. To cut off all family affection means to broaden the field of activities. Without doing this, no one can be qualified as a brahmana, a king, a public leader, or a devotee of the Lord.” (SB 1.8.41 purport)

Many of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s intimate associates were householders. In the Pancha-tattva, Advaita Acharya was the ideal householder. But at a certain stage it may become favorable for someone to leave his family and engage fully in the mission of the Lord. Either way, we depend on the mercy of Lord Nityananda. Whether we are with family or not doesn’t really matter. What really matters is increasing our attachment to Krishna and Krishna’s service. When one is attached to Krishna, one naturally becomes detached from maya. At the same time, if one is too preoccupied with maya, it will be hard to develop attachment to Krishna. So we should keep our lives simple. If our lives are too complicated, we will be distracted. We will have too many things on our minds to really chant and hear properly.

And the main process, as we know, is to chant the holy names of the Lord:

“One should chant the holy names, chant the holy names, chant the holy names of Hari [Krishna]. There is no other way, no other way, no other way for success in the present age of Kali.” (Brhan-naradiya Purana 38.126) And to get the full benefit, one must chant with attention. If our mind is wandering while we are chanting, we will not really get the full benefit. In fact, it is an offense (nama-aparadha) to be inattentive while chanting. It is said that all the other offenses follow from inattention but that if one chants with attention—if one actually hears the holy names—then all the other offenses will be destroyed. So it is very important to chant with attention. But if we are too preoccupied with material affairs, then even while we are chanting on our beads, our minds may be thinking of other things—how much money we have in the bank, whether we have enough to pay the bills, or whatever.

So we want to keep our lives simple. Although it is hard in Kali-yuga, we want to keep our lives as clear as possible. And we should keep our chanting time exclusively for Krishna. That is our time with Krishna, with the holy name. We shouldn’t think about other things. Of course, we do have to consider other matters, but not while we are chanting and hearing about Krishna.

What also pleases Krishna—and especially Lord Nityananda—is sharing Krishna consciousness with others. At the end of the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna says, “Of all of My servants, he who preaches My message is most dear to Me. There will never be one as dear to Me as he, and in the end it is guaranteed that he will come to Me.” He will go back home, back to Godhead.

“There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.” (Gita 18.68–69)

In a talk in Los Angeles Srila Prabhupada paraphrased many of the principles we have just discussed. He said that in order to approach Radha and Krishna, one must get the mercy of Lord Chaitanya, and that in order to get the mercy of Lord Chaitanya, one must get the mercy of Lord Nityananda, and that in order to get the mercy of Lord Nityananda, one must approach people like Jagai and Madhai.

Jagai and Madhai were sinful people. Nityananda Prabhu and Haridasa Thakura approached them and requested them to chant the holy names, but they were so fallen that they began to blaspheme Nityananda and Haridasa. Eventually Madhai hurled a pot at Nityananda Prabhu and hit Him on the forehead, causing Him to bleed. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard, He rushed to the spot, ready to kill the offenders, Jagai and Madhai, but Nityananda Prabhu intervened. He said, “My Lord, we are in Kali-yuga. In previous ages You came to kill the demons, but in Kali-yuga You have come to deliver them. If You kill people like Jagai and Madhai in Kali-yuga, You will have to kill everyone, because everyone will be like Jagai and Madhai—eating meat, drinking wine, and exploiting women.” He said, “In Kali-yuga, We don’t kill the demons physically. We kill their demonic mentalities.” Under the threat of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Sudarsana chakra, and touched by Nityananda Prabhu’s mercy, Jagai and Madhai accepted Lord Nityananda’s mercy, surrendered to Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and took up the chanting of the holy name.

“Lord Krsna, the son of the king of Vraja, became the son of Saci, and Balarama became Nitai. The holy name delivered all those souls who were lowly and wretched. The two sinners Jagai and Madhai are evidence of this.” (Srila Narottam dasa Thakura, Prarthana) Jagai and Madhai gave up their sinful activities, and thereafter Chaitanya Mahaprabhu never referred to their sinful pasts.

So, Srila Prabhupada instructed, “To get the mercy of Lord Nityananda, we have to approach people like Jagai and Madhai.” That means the people on the street, people everywhere; we have to approach the people. Following Lord Nityananda, who was ordered by Lord Chaitanya, we should beseech people, prabhura ajnay, bhai, magi ei bhiksa/ bolo‘krsna,’ bhajo krsna, koro krsna-siksa: “By the order of Lord Gauranga, O brothers, I beg this one request: Chant ‘Krishna!’ worship Krishna, and follow Krishna’s instructions.” Very simple. Srila Prabhupada also quoted Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa, amara ajnaya guru hana tara’ ei desa: “Wherever you go, whomever you meet, just repeat the instructions of Krishna. In this way, on My order, become a guru and try to deliver everyone in this land.” So it is not very difficult. We just repeat. Krishna says, “Surrender to Me,” and the guru says, “Surrender to Krishna.” The guru doesn’t say, “Surrender to me”—he says, “Surrender to Krishna.” It is very easy.

Srila Prabhupada’s secretary Shyamasundar and his wife, Malati, had a little girl named Saraswati, who from the age of three or four would approach people and ask, “Do you know who Krishna is?” Our first temple in Bombay was an apartment on Warden Road, a prestigious place near the sea. Many respectable gentlemen would come, and Saraswati would approach them and ask, “Do you know who Krishna is?” And then she would answer, “Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” And Srila Prabhupada remarked, “She is preaching. What she says is perfect, because she is repeating what she has heard.” We just repeat what we have heard from authorities. Anyone can do it. We don’t have to be very intellectual or imaginative or creative. We just repeat. And in that way we get the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu—through Srila Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada is the representative of Nityananda Prabhu, and everything that we can achieve through the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu can be achieved by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, who has taken up the mission of Nityananda Prabhu and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the mission of the Pancha-tattva. The spiritual master engages the disciples in such a way that they get the mercy of the Lord. And Srila Prabhupada has done that for us through ISKCON. He has created ISKCON in such a way that by practicing and preaching Krishna consciousness— by holding festivals like we are having today and have every Sunday and holy day—we get the mercy of the Lord.

But to have the potency to preach we must practice. And the most essential practice is to chant sixteen rounds with attention. One teacher commented that devotees have become very expert with their left hands, because that way, with their right hands in their bead bags, with their left hands they can dust the house or type on the keyboard of the computer. They become very expert with their left hands. But we do not want to chant like that. We want to chant sixteen good, attentive rounds, follow the four principles, and work to spread the sankirtana movement. If we chant sixteen good, offenseless rounds, follow the regulative principles, and work to our capacity to spread the sankirtana movement, Srila Prabhupada has assured us that we will go back home, back to Godhead, and serve Sri Sri Radha and Krishna and Their associates.

Srila Prabhupada has given us everything. We just have to take it. It is so simple. We just have to take it. Sometimes Srila Prabhupada would cite a cartoon in a newspaper, which depicted an old lady sitting across from her husband. The lady was requesting her husband, “Chant. Chant. Chant.” And the husband was replying, “Can’t. Can’t. Can’t.” That is our misfortune in Kali-yuga. With the same effort that it takes to refuse to chant, we could chant. That is our misfortune.

Still, devotees work tirelessly to induce people to chant. And it may be difficult to convince them. Srila Prabhupada raised the question: “Who is crazy?” People now are mad with material desires:

“People are mad after sense gratification, and they do not know that this present body, which is full of miseries, is a result of one’s fruitive activities in the past. Although this body is temporary, it is always giving one trouble in many ways. Therefore, to act for sense gratification is not good.” (SB 5.5.4)

It is very hard to make a crazy person sane. Srila Prabhupada compared our work to that of a psychiatrist in a madhouse. He is trying to help the patients, but the patients may not appreciate his efforts; in fact, they may turn against him. Still, he continues to endeavor to help them.

Of course, I am very happy with all of you here today. But you are just a small fraction of the population. Most people are out enjoying—or trying to enjoy—what they call material happiness. And because it is so hard to bring people to Krishna consciousness, the mercy one gets for making that effort is very great. And so we try our best—depending on the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Gaura-Nityananda.

The holy day of Pandava Nirjala is very special. The word Nirjala means without water and Ekadasi means the eleventh day of the lunar month. On this sacred day, devotees of the Lord observe a fast without consuming water, offer prayers to the Lord, chant the holy name and increase their devotional activities.

Nirjala Ekadasi is also known as Bhima Ekadasi or Pandava Ekadasi. In the Brahma Vaivata Purana it is said that Bhima, a lover of food, wanted to follow Ekadasi but was unable to control his hunger. He then went to his ancestor, Sage Vyasa, to ask him for a solution to his problem. Srila Vyasadeva suggested that he must follow Nirjala Ekadasi once during the year, pray for forgiveness from the Lord, and this way be freed from sins.

For the pleasure of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, we are pleased to announce the Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Book Distribution Marathon.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura made a great effort to send books about Lord Caitanya all over the world. We can too!

During this pandemic, let’s follow in his footsteps by providing sacred knowledge to every part of the globe. We are shipping books through contactless deliveries as well as e-books for all devices.

We’ve discovered how easy it is to distribute books via the Internet, and also by phone, through texting and calling!

To make it fun, we’ve started “calling parties” in which devotees join together simultaneously on Zoom and call contacts, friends and family wishing them well and providing them opportunity to read books during these testing times.

Alongside friends who share successes, advice, and smiles, makes each event feel like a festival. The time fliesand so do the books. Please join us!For more information or to participate contact toronto.sankirtan@gmail.com

This article about the TOVP, written by Tiziano Fusella (Tulasi das), an Italian journalist, appeared in Italy’s most popular and prestigious weekly magazine, il venerdi di Repubblica, on May 29. It is translated below into English from the original Italian.

Casa Hare Krishna (House of Hare Krishna)

by Tiziano Fusella

For five centuries the Basilica of San Pietro (St. Peter’s Basilica) has been the largest religious building in the world. But this record is about to be challenged, at least on the surface, by the new temple of the Hare Krishna religion that stands in Mayapur, West Bengal, India on the banks of the Ganges river, three hours by car from Kolkatta. With eight times more traffic than the road to St. Peter’s Basilica, the only road that leads to Mayapur is among the most tortuous and dangerous on the subcontinent. Crossings without signs follow one another, from which animals and vehicles of all sizes and shapes suddenly appear.

In Rome it took 120 years and twenty Popes to complete the work of St. Peter. The brilliant minds of Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Giacomo della Porta, and Bernini worked there, just to name a few. In Mayapur, India, the Hare Krishnas have built their World Headquarters’ Temple relatively quickly: from 2009 to 2022, the year in which the structure will be inaugurated.

The sacred Ganges river that flows less than a kilometer remains special. Its floods are periodic, sometimes devastating. “The road leading to Mayapur will be widened with the help of the Indian government” – assures Saul Porecki, spokesman for the new temple project . “We cannot do much about floods, but we have equipped ourselves with underground water systems to keep water away from foundations “.

The heart and engine of the project is Chairman Alfred Ford, great-grandson of Henry Ford the inventor of the assembly line and car manufacturing magnate of the same name. Alfred, 70, married with two daughters, donated $30 million for the construction of the temple. Another $30 million was donated by members and followers of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), the organization name with which the Hare Krishna religion is registered. The remaining $40 million will be collected from other members around the globe. Who better than him, in fact, can boast of good contacts with wealthy industrialists and crowned heads. He lives in Florida, but spends several months a year in India where he monitors the work of a thousand architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and bricklayers dealing with reinforced concrete and Vietnamese marble.

His day begins at 4.30 am, as with any devoted practitioner. He always carries a rosary made of 108 wooden beads, recited in prayer for 16 laps a day, and is a strict vegetarian who avoids coffee, tea, and, least of all, cigarettes and alcohol. In 1975 his parents learned from a newspaper that he had joined an unspecified sect that would surely have stolen his $1.2 billion share of inheritance. A legacy of that size didn’t happen. Alfred never even shaved his head, as befits the classic Hare Krishna monk. “I have one foot in religion and the other out,” he said, but it is easy to meet him in his robes.

He was also initiated into spiritual life in 1975 by the master Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the one who first taught the monotheistic worship of the god Krishna outside India. Except for his sister, Alfred found in the family two excellent allies in term of oriental philosophies. His cousin, William Clay Ford Jr., CEO of the Ford Motor company, is a fervent Buddhist. And Ford Founder Henry Ford himself frequented Sufi mystics’ meetings. A Detroit, Michigan newspaper article in 1926 caused quite a stir, and some competitive businessmen branded him as extravagant and eccentric, perhaps in an attempt to steal his industrial jewel in case he had a disruptive mystical crisis. But Henry remained firmly in command of the company and continued to profess reincarnation, as his heirs Alfred and Bill did a century later.

Reincarnation will be one of the central themes of the Mayapur temple, called TOVP, an acronym for the English “Temple of the Vedic Planetarium”. According to Hinduism, on which the Hare Krishna religion is based, the universe is made up of multiple planetary systems each orbiting their respective stars. Life is potentially present on every planet. Incarnate souls can wander not only from one body to another, whether animal or human, but even from planet to planet. A Western mind immediately thinks of Giordano Bruno, but there is no trace that the Campania monk studied scriptures from ancient India.

From the ceiling of the central wing of the Mayapur planetarium, a rotating representation of the universe weighing 5,000 kilos will hang. At the top, past the material planets, there is the spiritual world where the god of Hinduism, Krishna, enjoys himself in the form of a child with herds of cows in green meadows, and stolen yogurt in hand. His fellow adventurers, the cowherd boys, are none other than his own devotees, so immersed in rural life that they become unaware of being in the presence of God. And so they treat him as a fellow “trouble-maker” like themselves.

The priest’s room, called the pujari room, was inaugurated in February, with 69 rooms for the services, including kitchens, worship paraphernalia storage, offices, and priests’ residences. The TOVP temple will be able to accommodate 10,000 faithful, about half of the basilica of San Pietro, on an area of 37,000 square meters. There will also be a 300-seat theater, gardens, squares, hotels, condominiums, land and a community for retirees, all on 242 hectares.

Elders are a central theme in the Hare Krishna religion. Despite being the most widespread Hindu cult beyond Asian borders with about ten million devotees in the world, for some years there has been a rapid aging of the ranks. In the 1960s, the leader Prabhupada managed to address an audience of young Americans and Europeans, mostly from the counterculture. Today the social milieu has definitely changed. “Leave the materialistic society, live in the temple”, “simple living, high thinking”, were the more or less implicit slogans that in the past decades favored the expansion of the community.

When Prabhupada died in 1977, there were more than a hundred temples. In the 1980’s the number of temples continued to grow, especially the farms that still teemed with young residents cohesive in their choice of monastic life. Today the generational change is much different. The “leave society” message no longer has the appeal it once had. Western devotees’ residential preferences are also changing. Preferable to large temples in the countryside are smaller, urban temples in easy to reach towns.

The average age of the practitioners, since there was little turnover between old and new members, has risen. So some have sought assistance in terms of retirement. An example is in the US, where 78-year-old devotee Roger Seigel (Guru das) created the Vedic Care Charitable Trust, a fund to help senior members who in their youth worked to expand the Hare Krishna movement while neglecting their own sustenance in view of old age.

In Mayapur, however, everything is focused on the flows of tourists that the TOVP should attract, from India and the rest of the world. Six million pilgrims a year visit the villages on the banks of the Ganges river, considered sacred for centuries. It is expected that after the opening of the TOVP they will double.

However, San Pietro with its 20,139 square meters, will not lose the primacy of height: the dome of Rome exceeds Mayapur 137 meters against 113 meters.

“The more you become attached to the spiritual master, the more you become attached to Krishna.”

After three zoom classes for the day, I was ready for a much needed time outdoors.I chose, as my route, Yonge Street, a place up for change, with towering condominiums popping up along the way—perhaps it’s a way of ‘cleaning up’ some of the unwanted elements.Unfortunately, for about two kilometres along Yonge, from Bloor to Dundas, there is a presence of an unhealthy crop of people, often not always due to their own fault—the homeless, the drug users and other unstable types.The building of fresh new condos could change that.It could push those less-fortunates a few blocks to the east.

I do feel for those who are pushed to the edge.The symptoms of an unwholesome society abound, especially on this strip. Mind you, it’s not the worst place in Canada. And I have to snicker at the banners in the area that read that where I am is the “cultural core of the city.” Really?!

Anyway, my observation is that the average person is uncared-for or undercared-for. A strong amiable relationship with someone is what most people hanker for, with the ultimate relationship being with the paramatmaor God-in-the-heart.If one feels the presence of that Guardian Angel-type of friend then one feels a sense of love and security.

As I walked Yonge near College Street, I happened to chance upon a young man, from Turkey, who has been to our temple. It was obvious at my first encounter with him that he desired a partner and didn’t have one. I asked him in passing, “Did you find someone?”

With a huge smile he said, “Yes!”

Okay, so he has someone now, and, being Krishna Conscious, he also has Krishna. So, great!

Recently another responsibility has landed on my lap.Canada’s territory has been expanded to include Alaska, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming; all of this for nurturing the mission.Leaders of ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, have now recognized this as one zone, and, in the context of the continent (minus Mexico), this zone is called the North Zone.This additional chunk of land, snow and people (with an altogether fairly low population) has been conferred upon me with the help of Vrinda, a very competent lady from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and a few more able men along the line.

I see it as a blessing.Included in this lot are Yellowstone National Park, as well as more bison, bears and wolves.I’m afraid they may not be ready for philosophical discussions, and I doubt that I’ll spend much personal time with those glorious wild creatures. Anyway, for the time being, no one is going anywhere too far or too fast with the pandemic hovering over us.

I guess one of the reasons for the expansion is that I’m already in the Great White North, and these states mentioned above are more or less virgin territories, right nearby. Very few of our American colleagues have the time to venture up to these parts. Neither do I, for that matter, but with help from our up-and-coming leaders anything is possible.

I feel blessed with a fresh new frontier.I feel blessed overall with service to humanity.

Ganga Devi emanates from the lotus feet of Lord Krishna and she compassionately appeared in this material world pleased by the austerities of Maharaj Bhagiratha. As she flowed down from the heavenly planets, Lord Shiva took her in his matted hair.

Then, from Kailash she followed Maharaj Bhagiratha through Haridwar to Mayapur. When she reached Mayapur, she stopped and told Bhagiratha that as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would appear soon, she wanted to stay there and take darshana of the beautiful Lord.

Then after Gaura Purnima she went all the way to the hellish planets to purify the ancestors of Bhagiratha.